‘It doesn’t matter which way around we are’ – Piastri reveals he would give up Sprint victory in Sao Paulo to benefit team mate Norris

After claiming a remarkable last-minute pole position in Sprint Qualifying, Oscar Piastri has explained he would be willing to follow team orders to help out Lando Norris in his championship battle.

Briton Norris is currently 47 points behind drivers’ standings leader Max Verstappen, but with the Dutchman set to take a five-place grid drop in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, this weekend could be a good chance for Norris to take a chunk out of his lead.

READ MORE: Piastri beats Norris to stunning Sprint Qualifying pole in Sao Paulo by 0.029s

Norris looked to be the favourite to take pole position after repeatedly topping the timesheets throughout the day, but Piastri’s final effort was enough to grab first place by just 0.029s over his papaya team mate.

Despite his impressive effort, the Aussie confirmed that the team is his priority, so he will focus on their overall result before they switch attention to the Grand Prix.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after Sprint Qualifying, Piastri said: “We’ll see what the pace is like for both of us tomorrow. I think first and second is the first objective and then we’ll see what order it is.

“I know that I’m not in the running for the drivers’ standings and for the team, it doesn’t matter which way around we are. I know that’s the case and we’ll see.”

READ MORE: ‘The McLarens are so fast’ – Leclerc shocked by rivals’ pace after taking P3 in Sao Paulo Sprint Qualifying

Quizzed further on whether he would give up the win outright, he added: “Yes. I’ve said I would from when we first had these discussions. It would be nice to win, but it’s one point difference, and it’s not the main race so we’ll see.

“Lando needs the points in the drivers’ standings a lot more than I do, but of course I still want to win. So if I put in the effort and have good pace, I’m sure that won’t go unnoticed, but let’s see.”

McLaren have appeared to be the strongest team after the first day in Brazil, with the duo harnessing the constantly evolving track conditions and minor upgrades to the car’s rear wing to produce rapid lap times.

Their front row lock-out puts them in the best position for tomorrow’s Sprint, but Norris seemed eager to keep expectations manageable after he qualified in P2.

READ MORE: Norris finding it ‘motivating’ to race Verstappen as he insists his approach to championship fight is ‘working’

“A little bit surprised that we were so quick today, but a pleasant one of course,” he said after the session. “A good lap, I made some mistakes on my final lap and just boxed. Good job as a team.”

Asked about whether this result bodes well for his championship hopes – with Verstappen starting from P4 – Norris stated: “I don’t care. I hate this question so much. I’m just going to race, I don’t care about where I qualify.

“For me, I just focus on my own job and that’s it. It’s the same question every time but it doesn’t matter. If [Verstappen’s] first, if he’s last, I’ll do the best I can. Tomorrow’s a completely different day so we’ll see. We definitely made some good steps forward.”